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Infinite Flight
Infinite Flight is a flight simulation game targeted specifically for mobile devices. It was created by Flying Development Studio LLC, initially for Windows Phone platform, and later ported to iOS and Android operating systems. The simulator features 42 flyable aircraft (both free and as in-app-purchases), 16 regions, weather and time settings, weight and balance selection, logbook of flights, achievement table and a replay facility that enables the user to watch the last five minutes of their flight. (IFATC!!!!!!) History 'V1.0 - 1.3 (Windows Phone, April 25, 2011) - First aircraft and regions; initial response; first features.' Version 1.0 was first announced on the 25th of April 2011. This version was available for Windows Phone 7, and featured the Cessna 172SP aircraft, 15 airports in the San Francisco Bay Area, an autopilot with two modes, four time settings (sunrise, day, sunset, night), weather settings (wind direction/intensity, visibility level), five camera modes and progress/achievement features (logbook, achievements, leaderboards). To assist the users in handling their aircraft the simulator included a basic tutorial on taking off and handling, a final approach path display (a series of rectangles leading up to the runway threshold) and a yoke symbol as an additional visual aid. The response was positive, with users logging over 20 hrs in the first day of operation. In this early incarnation, the game featured a multi-function display that combined the map with an engine instruments panel (fuel flow, oil pressure, oil temperature and fuel quantity). The engine instruments were later removed, as different types of aircraft entered the game and made the implementation of such a feature more complex. Shortly after, this was revised to v1.2, fixing a reported issue with the sky colour. By the end of May, version 1.3 of the simulator was rolled out, featuring some further bug fixes and the Cirrus SR22 G3 Turbo aircraft with four camera views. 'V1.4 - 1.7 (June 2, 2011/June 15, 2011) - First airliner, rudder control, further bug-fixes, new animation support.' This version marked the next stage in the development; the fleet was augmented by two new aircraft, the Boeing 737-800 in Southwest livery and the aerobatic Super Decathlon. The game now supported rudder control, propeller wash, pinch-to-zoom mode for the camera views and support for the gear/spoiler retraction animations. This also saw the introduction of the trial mode. V1.5 appeared two weeks later, and was an even bigger step forward. Apart from the new scenery (the Southern California region, still one of the more expansive areas in the game), the 1.5 version introduced some significant gameplay changes. This was the first version of the simulator to feature an ILS system, allowing instrument approaches to be carried out and initially enabled for all airfields. The HUD was given a minimap - a scaled down version of the main map to track immediate progress, showing navigation points and airfields around the aircraft's current position within a small radius. Furthermore, the user was given the option to alter the control sensitivity to suit their flying style. V1.6 was a minor revision, addressing reported graphics issues and included some back-end code optimisation; 1.7 saw the addition of the Airbus A380 to the fleet (this was available in an Air France livery only until its revision in 2013). This release also brought some positive attention from the reviewers: the simulator received a 4/5 rating on Best Windows Phone Games (read the review here). Infinite Flight Live Throughout its history, after version 1.7, many regions and aircraft have been added, and many versions have come and gone. One major addition that catapulted Infinite Flight was the addition of Infinite flight Live. Infinite flight live is a live flight mode, on different regions where users can fly, with ATC, and along with other users. There are 3 servers in Live: Free flight (No violations, no ATC), ATC playground (ATC and Violations but no server ghosting), and Advanced ATC (Like ATC playground but with server ghosting). After its release and even today, many community members have organized server events in community forms. Present Day The most recent addition was the regions Singapore/Kuala Lumpur and Hawaii. A simulator once San Francisco and a Cessna 172, has grown to 42 Aircraft and 16 regions. As the developers continue to work on new versions, Infinite flight remains a widely known and loved flight simulator. User Interface Aircraft Main article: The Aircraft of Infinite Flight The simulator comes with 42 aircraft (18 free, 24 paid), ranging from general aviation and utility aircraft to civilian airliners and military combat/transport planes. The flight models feature different levels of detail due to incremental nature of the updates to the software, however older models are occasionally revised and brought up to the most recent standard (as seen with the original aircraft Cessna 172 that received a cockpit view, animated surfaces and a number of other improvements over time). Most aircraft feature animated surfaces and landing gear, multiple liveries (except for military aircraft and some civilian models that have not been updated at the time of writing) and weight/balance settings. More recent revisions to the controls made possible the toggle of navigation lights and a "seat belts/non smoking" chimes in relevant planes. Regions Main article: Playable regions in Infinite Flight Presently, the simulator features 13 regions from around the world, both free and as in-app-purchases. San Francisco was shipped with the very first build of Infinite Flight, and is the default setting when the game is first launched (or in some cases after an update is published). The regions vary in sizes, and while most are located within the United States, some European locations (London, Amsterdam, Paris and their surroundings) and some more exotic areas (Sydney, the Caribbean) are also featured. Although there are no 3D structures currently available within the game (photos on the official Facebook page showed some work being carried out on this feature, currently without a shipping date), terrain elevations and other landscape features are still available. Airports are represented by their respective runways with centreline, threshold and touchdown zone markings (with low visibility/guidance lighting), an airport beacon light and taxiway/terminal layouts. As the featured regions cover a lot of different terrain, available runways are shown according to their real-world counterparts. Thus as well as the typical asphalt/concrete surfaces seen at large airports, Infinite Flight also features smaller airstrips with gravel, dirt and grass surfaces. Furthermore, the Edwards AFB in the Los Angeles region has the dry-lake-bed runway used for the Space Shuttle landing. 'Flight Planning' Main article: Flight planning and navigation Missions IF features a small set of flyable missions that come with specific aircraft. Currently, one mission is available to complete - the Space Shuttle landing challenge, with three levels of difficulty. At the end of each, a score card prompt is displayed with the performance statistics. Until the updates between September and December 2013, IF also contained an airshow formation-flying mission over the KOAK (Oakland Metro) airfield in the San Francisco region using two Spitfire aircraft (the AI formation leader, and the player-controlled plane). The mission consisted of flying around a series of checkpoints, while staying within close range of the flight leader, and could be flown in three weather settings. As of January 2014, this mission is no longer available for undisclosed reasons. The 747-400 mission has been removed after the revision of the 747. External Links *Flying Development Studio *Infinite Flight official Facebook page *Infinite Flight official Twitter page *Matthieu Laban official Twitter page